Mousse 51 is a photo issue dedicated to exhibitions from 1985 to 1995, the last ten years or so before exhibitions went online, and possibly, before the exhibition view became a requisite genre.

Up to twenty years ago, galleries and museum, art magazines and schools had no websites; viewing a show would mean, quite simply, visiting it. A great number of seminal shows—from small but consequential artists’ debuts in private galleries, to the innovative biennial iterations in new territories and continents, to thematic and now historicized institutional exhibitions—were richly studied, avidly discussed, but poorly photographed, if at all.

This issue is an album of recommendations, for which we are very grateful to all the writers, artists, curators, dealers, and friends who accepted to share with us their favorite shows. We couldn’t find pictures for all of them, but many are here.
Thank you!